American Idol franchise and text voting
June 21, 2006 by Jayvee Fernandez
Filed under Mobile Monitor, The Unwired Life
A recent article was published on Textually about how the voting mechanics of American Idol were a bit screwed up because of a partnership with Cingular:
“Had ‘American Idol’ partnered with another carrier with a higher percentage of their subscriber base in another region, the results might have been different.”
In a small place like the Philippines, where Philippine Idol is about to debut, what happens when the landline and telco industry is controlled by a pseudo-monopoly?
Well for one, they could charge close-to-extortion rates for casting in votes. The Philippines is an entertainment-centered industry where the demand for actors, singers and dancers outweighs the need for doctors and lawyers.
There is a huge financial disparity between the masses and those who can afford. But the entertainment industry grabs the money juice from the former. Will the vending of prepaid cards be used mostly for Idol text and landline votes?
